The layout at Cutalong follows the lay of the land , meaning there was little need for grading the property during construction .
DRAWING ON HISTORY Bennett and Clark have worked together on several golf projects .
Clark ’ s idea for Cutalong was to reproduce famous holes , greens and designers ’ work using C . B . Macdonald ’ s National Golf Links in Southampton , N . Y ., as a template . Clark played the course several times and was inspired by Macdonald ’ s use of features from famous golf holes in the United Kingdom .
Clark asked his friend Ron Whitten , then the Architecture Editor for Golf Digest , to join the Cutalong project in 2005 .
“ He expanded my format ; opened my eyes to not just doing it with C . B . Macdonald stuff ,” says Clark , a past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects .
“ It ’ s not that we were trying to imitate National Golf Links or trying to imitate C . B . Macdonald . It was just using the concept of taking concepts from different holes and coming up with new holes that have some inspiration or some strategies or some visuals that relate to grand old holes ,” Whitten says . “ We thought we would draw from a wider range of architecture in holes and eras .”
Clark and Whitten , a Civil War buff , incorporated holes with Civil War and military themes . Other holes feature railroad and mining themes related to the site .
“ The green complexes , their surroundings and the course conditions give players the ability to explore their imagination in ways you may see your favorite players do on TV . Cutalong is a gem that will make itself known as one of Virginia ’ s finest .” — Head professional Brady Noland
“ It ’ s probably the last original design in this country because there ’ s just not that much being built … so it was exciting to be involved ,” Whitten says .
Cutalong ’ s fairways are wide ( 100 yards in some places ). Little grading was necessary because Clark ’ s routing followed the lay of the land . The course drains well and can play firm and fast . The greens tumble and roll but each one has multiple quadrants for hole locations . Put the ball in the right quadrant and you will have a birdie putt . Greens speed can range from 8 to 14 on the stimpmeter .
Course yardages ( six sets of tees ) range from family markers at 4,400 yards to the back markers at 7,400 yards . The ninth and 16th holes have no bunkers .
“ You go to a golf course and you don ’ t usually have all these different styles and thoughts . Our bunkering changes from hole to hole . Working with the shaper ( Brian Jennings ), he was able to characterize the era , the style that went along with the green design ,” Clark says . “ It ’ s a second-shot course . It ’ s all about angles and how you want to come into the green .”
To learn more about the holes and their concepts , be sure to read the holeby-hole descriptions on the website :
cutalonglakeanna . com .
THE BEST FOR LAST ? The project ’ s biggest problem is a water source for irrigation and club facilities . There are two small ponds on the property , and Contrary Creek runs through the site , but the water is so acidic nothing grows along the banks . Drawing from Lake Anna is not an option .
“ We need a dedicated well that produces enough gallons per minute . We ’ ll eventually find that ,” Clark says .
Whitten , who lives in Kansas , made site visits in 2012-2013 and again in 2019 and early 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic struck . The last time he was on site was Jan . 9 , 2020 , the day famed architect Pete Dye died . Clark and Whitten were working on the layout ’ s “ Pete Dye ” hole that day .
Whitten has seen many pictures and says , “ I ’ m thrilled with the results even though I didn ’ t get to participate much . It ’ s very different . It ’ s got some stunning holes , some surprises to it and it ’ s got a lot of different strategies where you are going to play some holes four or five different ways . Hopefully Cutalong will be fun to play .”
Clark says having his lake house only five minutes from the golf course has been a blessing .
“ I ’ ve spent the last two years there . I was able to be there almost every day during construction so I would say I ’ ve put all my 50 years of experience into this . With so few new courses being developed , this may well be my last and best .”
MIKE KLEMME VIA CUTALONG
20 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ARCH / A PRIL 2021
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